Jun 4 The 2017 Blade Show Experience

Blade Show 2017 has come to a finale, and I wanted to recap my experience with you all. As I mentioned in our pre-show article, this was my third year attending the world’s largest knife convention, and I’ve found that my perspective on the show and experience has changed each year.

My first year at the show, all I could think about was the knives I planned to purchase. The tables I’d run to first. The lotteries I’d enter. Oh all the knives I would have after that show. And while I did get lucky that year, I discovered that people didn’t go to Blade show for the knives. They did so for the people. That first show I met many faces that I had previously only seen on forums and Facebook groups. Many makers who up until that point, were only a logo in my mind. Yes, I came home with knives that I was excited to own and cherished, but that was not the best “score” of that show.

My second year, I wasn’t able to come with very much money. I brought enough for one custom folder, and knew exactly which one it was going to be, a David Sharp Framehorn (a knife I still own to this day). After that, I spent the rest of the show exploring, chatting, and hanging out.

And this year, despite bringing a large amount of cash, I came home with one knife, a Jared Oeser Native. While there were other things I was hoping to pick up (namely a Raphael Durand lockback), I unfortunately wasn’t quick enough. However, this was my favorite Blade Show that I have attended yet. I was able to meet some great folks that I had only known from Facebook messages and phone calls, make some new friends waiting in line at makers’ tables, and even take a few moonshine shots.

I’ll be going further in depth on some of the pieces that really impressed me this year throughout the week, so stay tuned. In the meantime, keep an eye on my Instagram as I upload many of the photos that I took this year. If we got the chance to meet at the show this year, trust me when I say that it was a real pleasure.